Tuesday, March 27, 2012

As the weather gets a bit warmer it's good to get out in the fresh air and socialize. I've already met quite a few new friends. Above, the Swan family has relocated from Cove Island to the marsh on the Holyoke side of the river. Mrs. Swan says, "Property taxes are lower here."

Mr. Rooster doesn't feel he should be limited to just mornings. "If I want to express myself, even if it's 3 p.m., who's to stop me?"

When asked why the Rogers brothers, the pickling company from Lunenburg, Mass. stopped making pickled lamb tongues I received a blank stare.

The water is still cold. But we like to wear bathing suits under our clothes just in case. Layers are appropriate for spring.

Mr. Grackle isn't sure about the seed mix. "Check the expiration dates if you buy from Ocean State Job Lots," I was told. Good advice.

This group meets every Wednesday for canasta. "We could use a sixth," said Mrs. Littlehorse.

It seems I ruffled someones feathers when I mentioned the 50 states quarter program.

The Blue Jay twins just discovered they were adopted. "I always thought we were different," Billy Blue Jay said.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Setting out on trail adventures we often want to go up and see views. But today we decided to take a long loop around to visit Lithia Springs.

Taking a right at Dry Brook trail we knew it would be a long way. But we had plenty of water and a nice map.

Glorious sunshine. With no leaves on the trees the light was bright.

Dry Brook trail was wide. Perhaps it was an old horse cart road? We imagined traveling this road with our cart, carrying vegetables to the market in Granby.

Our map told us left, the blue blaze, Black Rock trail, would take us up to Taylor's notch. Right, the yellow blaze, Lithia Springs trail, would take us to the reservoir.“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” -- Robert Frost

The Department of Conservation and Recreation did a great job cleaning up after the October snowstorm. Thanks guys!

We're getting close! Nice shots. Good aim.

Finally. Lithia Springs Reservior. And we had it all to ourselves.

We had to cross this small stream so we made a little a step-stone bridge. The rocks were easy to find.

Author takes time out to wave hello.

Time to rest and drink some water before the long trek back.

Decided to take the Lithia Outlook trail back. This way, we'd get some views.

It's a tough climb. But we still have water!

Made it to the top! The reservoir sure looks small from up here. Now, time to go home and get some dinner.

Off The Shelf: The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman

From Booklist: In a 1952 nor’easter, the distress of two ships off Cape Cod initiated a dramatic Coast Guard operation recounted here by coauthors Tougias and Sherman. Both vessels were World War II surplus, cheaply built, unwisely kept in service, and broken in two by the storm. All four halves floated, for the moment, and the authors’ narrative accordingly tracks four separate search-and-rescue efforts that form the complete story. The most prominent, in the press at the time and in official honors conferred afterward, concerned one motorized lifeboat, a puny 36 feet long and manned by four men, dispatched to do battle with the maelstrom’s towering waves. This is the seascape of The Perfect Storm, and the authors do justice to the peril in a tight account of the action. Plotting the course of CG36500, the utilitarian name of the lifeboat captained by Bernie Webber (interviewed for this book), Tougias and Sherman reach their peak of tension in the sink-or-swim moments when mariners abandoned ship and chanced their lives on their rescuers’ skill and bravery. An excellent entry in the disaster-at-sea genre. --Gilbert Taylor

A collision of memories, time and space

Our focus is on Western Massachusetts. Our postings are mostly of common images that folks might come across in their everyday journeys. Wall graffiti, lampposts, ticket booths, street scenes, wildlife, forests and discarded objects are regular themes.
We started blogging with a focus on the history of our families and how the places they have lived evolved over time. We are most interested in how the past and present collide and launching the reader into a place where memories of prior experiences and places mingle with their everyday lives.
-- Bob Genest